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Move That Body Of Yours!

It is not obesity alone that kills us;
it’s the lack of getting our bodies moving [i.e. exercise]

A lack of exercise could be killing twice as many people as obesity in Europe, a 12-year study of more than 300,000 people suggests.

University of Cambridge researchers said about 676,000 deaths each year were down to inactivity, compared with 337,000 from carrying too much weight.
Even non-obese people have shorter lifespans if they are inactive, but usually inactivity goes along with being overweight.
Eating real food and not all that processed stuff is a good way to not only lose weight, but to be generally healthier. We are made to process food; not chemicals….and there are real food supplements that can help with weight loss – and one of these products also gives me a whole lot more energy which makes me want to move and keep on movin’……
And the solution, as always, is to do both:
lose weight if you are overweight AND get active no matter what weight you are!!
Please share your thoughts and comments below – and Thank You!!

01/15/2015
Yoga: Good For Your Heart

Doing yoga may be a good way to protect against heart disease, particularly if you cannot do more vigorous exercise, research suggests.

A review in the Netherlands of 37 studies involving nearly 3,000 people found yoga was independently linked to a lowering of heart risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.
I love yoga and recommend it for anyone – kids, teens, etc.
But there is one caveat…..
You need to take a class from a good yoga teacher or you can get hurt!
The pose in the image above is called corpse pose, or relaxation pose, and it is a good way to begin and end every yoga session. For me, it’s a form of meditation and I often come up with great ideas when lying there on my floor or in a yoga class.
The study does not really find why yoga is good for your heart, only that it is…they suggest maybe it’s the calming…but they also say it does not replace the aerobic exercise we need, but my reply to that is:
it depends on the kind of yoga you do!
Do you do yoga?
Thoughts?
Comments?
Thank you!!!!

12/17/2014
Blood Type and Memory Loss

Interesting information about blood type.

Another correlational study – and one that shows:
There may be a link between a rare blood type and memory loss in later life, American research suggests.

People with AB blood, found in 4% of the population, appear more likely to develop thinking and memory problems than those with other blood groups.
There is nothing one can do about the blood type you are born with, but no matter what yours is, you can keep your brain healthier by eating real food and taking care of your body by exercising. And exercising also helps your brain.
In fact, exercise helps with so many “issues”
it’s always a good thing to do!!
Comments? [way down near the bottom]
Thoughts?

Thank you!!

10/02/2014
Backyard Photography

I had always been a backyard photographer –
even before I thought of that term.

When I was a young kid with a camera [my old faithful Kodak Brownie Junior] I wasn’t allowed to venture far, so I took pictures where I lived.
As I got older, with better cameras, I still enjoyed taking photos of what was right in front of me. Flowers, bees, wood, shadows, water, and buildings provided me with endless photos.
Today, I decided to try the panorama setting on my smartphone and got the above photos. For the top one I was able to stay a bit more level than for the bottom one where I dipped the camera when I pivoted. [I did not wish to fall off the part of the roof I was standing on.]
I also took this today too. I love the aroma of the flowers on the dwarf meyer lemon, and so do the bees.

Without going very far, I was able to do some photography, get in a nice walk with my dog, and play with the panorama setting. Yes, I need to practice more with that setting, but it has possibilities and my next ones will be better….
Take your camera and go out in your yard and neighborhood
and see what you can look at through your camera lens.
Comments? [box is near the bottom of the page]

Thank you!!

10/01/2014
Train That Brain To Like Good-For-You Food

I wrote that you can train your brain to be happy – now we learn that you can train your brain to like healthy or good-for-you foods.

This [study] focused on changing food preferences by prescribing a diet high in fibre and protein, and low in carbohydrates, but which did not allow participants to become hungry because this is when food cravings take over and unhealthy food becomes attractive.

When their brains were scanned using MRI at the start and end of a six-month period, those following the programme showed changes in the brain’s reward centre.

When participants were shown pictures of different types of food, it was the healthy, low-calorie foods which produced an increased reaction.

The brain’s reward centre also showed decreased sensitivity to the unhealthy, higher-calorie foods.
It’s a reward system, and your brain can learn to prefer one reward over another.
We are not automatons stuck with one liking. We can change over time if we work at it.

Addictions or changing what the brain prefers can be very difficult. But it can be done.
Personally, I cut way back on wheat and sugar and was surprised myself to realize that my desires for bread, donuts, and cookies has almost disappeared.
Thoughts?
Comments? [comment section is way down at the bottom of the page]

Thank you!

09/30/2014
Oh Those Growing Waists!
In the United States, and elsewhere, the obesity level has remained constant for a while.

But, and this is not-so-good-news … according to recent research, our waist circumference has increased.
The researchers found:

Average waist circumference increased from 37.6in (95.5cm) to 38.8in (98.5cm)

The average waist circumference for men is now 40in (101cm)

The average waist circumference for women in now 38in (96cm)

The average increase in men was 0.8in (2cm); in women 1.5in (3.8cm)

Abdominal obesity (tummy fat) increased from 46.4% of the population in 1999-2000 to 54.2% in 2011-2012.

This is not good as belly fat, which is that added circumference, is bad for your health!
According to the mentioned report:
Carrying too much fat around the middle (waist) can increase the risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Changes in lifestyle can help us lose this belly fat. Get a good night’s sleep, eat nutritious foods, exercise, relax, etc.
I write and teach about stress, and in helping you learn to use stress for its motivational qualities, I suggest most of the above…
Thoughts?
Comments?

Thank you!
09/19/2014